


A Long Road

by theartofimaginaryfriends



Series: Percy Jackson Oneshots [17]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:27:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26041927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theartofimaginaryfriends/pseuds/theartofimaginaryfriends
Summary: Percy and Y/N decide to go to therapy together, to help them work through domestic trauma
Relationships: Percy Jackson/Reader
Series: Percy Jackson Oneshots [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1829356
Kudos: 13





	A Long Road

**Author's Note:**

> CONTENT WARNINGS PLEASE READ: this one-shot deals with descriptions trauma, rape/sexual assault, physical abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, and domestic violence.

It had been two years since Y/N and Percy got married, and nine years since they moved to New Rome. Now, they were nervously waiting in the lounge of New Rome psychology. The demigods began with separate sessions, working through their own traumas surrounding the events during each quest. As they got better, and those nightmares became less frequent, they decided to begin sessions together. 

Percy struggled to open up about the abuse Gabe put him and his mother through. Y/N had a tough time bringing up their abusive parent but was a little more open about it than Percy was. Both adults wanted kids, they always felt that way. Percy was the first one to bring it up. Unfortunately, the two of them were terrified of that prospect, and it was their friends that suggested they see a therapist to get passed that speedbump. 

Y/N squeezed Percy's hand lightly as they made their way to the psychologist's office. This was their first session, and Y/N could tell how nervous Percy was. He told them a few things that Gabe had done, but never in detail and skirted around any parts that led to the moments that were particularly traumatizing. All they could hope for was a successful first session, and at least get a crack into the barrier. 

The couch they sat on was comfy, and the two demigods sat close together. They went through the confidentiality agreement, and the goals they want to achieve by going to these continuous sessions. Once the basics were out of the way, the atmosphere shifted. Percy interlocked his fingers with Y/N's, the nerves hitting him hard. The only person he told the full story to was his best friend, Annabeth, and that wasn't easy after over a decade of being friends with her. 

He started with bits that Y/N already knew. Gabe's abuse of the home, using Percy's room as his "office" when he was gone to boarding school, and playing poker with his buddies in the kitchen while treating Sally like a servant. He talked more about how he had treated his mother and him, using physical abuse more frequently when it was just the three of them in the small apartment. Percy often would get into his mother's foundation to conceal the bruises and scars Gabe gave him. 

Just like every time it was brought up, Percy focused more on his mother. He talked more in detail about his ex-stepdad treating her like a servant, and how he would have to hear Sally being beaten by Gabe almost every day. Just like every time he brought Gabe up, he stopped abruptly when a particularly difficult memory resurfaced. 

The therapist gave Percy ideas on healthy coping mechanisms, as a way to stop the panic attacks and nightmares. They promised to get back to Percy's trauma in the next session, noting that he will not be forced to talk about any of it until he was ready. 

When they got to Y/N, they got into how they grew up practically having to raise themself. Their parent was an addict, and never really gave Y/N the time of day. When they did, however, it was to yell at them for being an abomination and not being good enough. Deep down, they knew it was because they were a demigod. There was physical abuse when they got attention from their parent, but the trauma was mostly mental and emotional. 

They received similar ideas for coping mechanisms like Percy, and the couple promised to try it together. Due to an already heavy session, the therapist had them close their eyes and take a collective deep breath for a few counts, before scheduling the next session and getting them to pay. 

Once they got home, Percy went into the bedroom to lie down. It took him a long time to recover after his trauma was brought up, especially after getting close to talking about the story he never spoke about. Y/N didn't expect a breakthrough right away, and they remained patient with their husband. Not wanting him to be alone, they climbed into bed and held Percy as he cried. 

"Y/N?" Percy wiped the tears off his face with the sleeve of his hoodie. 

"Hm?" Y/N shifted so that they were looking at Percy from a more comfortable angle, and listened as he spoke. 

"I-" he took a deep breath. "I think I'm ready to tell you what I've been avoiding talking about." 

"You don't want to save it for the next session?" Y/N asked kindly. 

"I don't know when I'll feel confident enough to talk about it again, and you need to know." Y/N nodded their head, encouraging Percy to continue. "When I was a kid... just old enough to finally understand what Gabe was doing, I heard Mom screaming and crying in the middle of the night. Worried, I went to go see what was happening, and I- uh..." 

"You don't need to say it if you don't want to," Y/N whispered after a few beats of silence. Percy nodded, and buried his face into their chest, beginning to cry again. They stroked his hair and held him close as he let it out, thinking about what their parent had done to them. 

It had taken a long time for either of them to get comfortable intimately. It was assumed by Y/N, who had been raped before, that Percy was a victim as well. They couldn't imagine how hard it was for Percy to have seen it at such a young age. It didn't help that they could tell by the history, Percy had heard it happening more times than he cared to admit. 

The two demigods were broken, but they hoped that it was repairable. They wanted to have a family, to prove to themselves that they weren't like the abusers they were raised by. It was going to be a long road, and they were determined to get there.


End file.
